A few weeks ago, I asked all of you what your favorite deaths in horror movies were. Now I’m curious to know which death(s) are the most difficult for you to watch. I touched upon Lizzy Caplan’s death in Cloverfieldin that post, noting how it was so disturbing to me that it made it difficult for me to watch the movie again. Last weekend I got to catch Marjane Satrapi’s new film The Voices,starring Ryan Reynolds, Gemma Arterton and Anna Kendrick. I loved it, but there is a death in the movie that made me very uncomfortable and disturbed me in a way other deaths in horror films haven’t. If you’ve already seen the film, you probably know what I am talking about. Let’s discuss below!

***WARNING – MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE VOICES WILL BE DISCUSSED***

The Voices tells the story of Jerry Hickfang (Ryan Reynolds), a psychotic man who talks to his cat, Mr. Whiskers and his dog, Bosco, and they talk back. Of course, they aren’t really talking to Jerry. He has stopped taking his anti-psychotic medication and his subconscious thoughts are being reflected through his pets. Mr. Whiskers tells Jerry to kill people and has very funny, foul-mouthed one-liners. Bosco reflects Jerry’s good side. After he accidentally kills Fiona (Gemma Arterton), a girl he has a crush on in his office, things start getting out of control.

***Again, DEATH SPOILERS Below***

Marketed as a horror comedy (which is very difficult to do), The Voices becomes much darker than I was initially expecting about 2/3 of the way into its run time, when Jerry accidentally murders Lisa (Anna Kendrick), another girl in his office whom he went on a date (and had sex) with the night before. The entire scene is very uncomfortable and disturbing to watch. Lisa, still incredibly happy after a successful first date with Jerry, decides to go to his house and surprise him with mini-cakes. Eventually she makes it inside his “apartment” (it’s actually a dilapidated building that Jerry imagines as a beautiful apartment) and sees Fiona’s decaying head sitting on the coffee table. She (understandably) freaks out and hides out in Jerry’s bedroom. After trying to run out, Jerry grabs her and throws her on his bed, causing her to break her neck on his bed frame. The kicker is that she doesn’t die instantly. She lies on the the bed with tears streaming down the side of her face and keeps repeating “Jerry, I just want to go home” as he crawls in the bed and cuddles next to her. Her eyes slowly fill with blood as she stops breathing and dies.

I can handle a lot of carnage in horror films, but it’s not the carnage that makes it difficult for me to watch a character’s death (unless it involves pus). When a character is so sympathetic and so likable, it makes their death incredibly difficult for me to see (which makes the movie more horrifying, so I guess the movie did its job). The fact that Lisa was played by Anna Kendrick, an actress whom I admire a lot, certainly didn’t help matters. I was honestly kind of hoping that Kendrick’s character would turn out to be equally as insane as Reynolds’ so they could run off into the sunset together, but alas, she was doomed to become another head in his refrigerator.

So all of this being said, I just found Kendrick’s death to be incredibly emotional and difficult to watch. What made it so striking is that her death made me sad, which isn’t something I usually feel in horror films. There are a few other on-screen deaths that I find nearly as effective (the aforementioned Lizzy Caplan death in Cloverfield, Heather Matarazzo’s death in Hostel: Part IIand Nora Arnezeder’s death in the Maniac remake immediately come to mind) if only because I felt such an intense emotional connection with Kendrick’s character.Do you agree with me? Or are there other deaths that are equally difficult for you to watch? It could be deaths that are too gory for you but I’m really interested in the deaths that connected with you on an emotional level. Let me know in the comments below!

The Voices is currently in limited theatrical release and available on select Video On Demand services.

While remakes are a plenty, there’s one franchise that’s still wholly intact: Child’s Play.

Child’s Play creator Don Mancini took over the helm of the franchise with Seed of Chucky, the continuation of Bride of Chucky, and then, after Universal mulled a reboot for years, directed the sixth entry, Curse of Chucky.

Curse was everything Child’s Play fans could want, and even wrapped up the franchise with a shocking finale. Even with the geek-plosion, Mancini found a way to leave it open for yet another sequel, one that he’s been very open about (he even revealed one of his defunct plans that placed Chucky on a train).

And while things have been quiet on the Chuckster’s front, Mancini broke the silence this morning via Twitter where he told a fan that he’s still hard at work on the seventh Child’s Play. We can only hope that Tiffany returns as she was teased in the closing moments of Curse of Chucky, which was released through Universal Home Entertainment.

Fans of Child’s Play, what do you want out of the next sequel? It’s pretty remarkable that after all of these years Universal has kept Brad Dourif and Don Mancini involved, which is why Child’s Play may be my favorite horror franchise…

Welcome to Twitter @chuckylivesnet! I am currently working on the script for CHUCKY 7

They say in order to make it to the top, you need to be a psychopath. This is explored in Jon Ronson’s book “The Psychopath Test”, which is being adapted for the screen by Kristin Gore for Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment.

The Avengers and Lucy‘s Scarlett Johansson is attached to star with Jay Roach directing, says Deadline.

Ronson tackles how the medical community tries to diagnose and classify an elusive group: remorseless, deadly psychopaths. They say one out of every hundred people is a psychopath, devoid of empathy, manipulative, deceitful, charming, seductive, and delusional. The book explores their world and the madness industry.

Brian Grazer will produce along with Roach and his Everyman Pictures banner, and Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey. Erica Huggins and Jennifer Perini will be exec producers.

While us viewers pine over the beautiful Norma Bates (Vera Farmiga), it’s disturbing to see Norman’s ancestral fantasies realizes on screen.

A&E recently set the premiere for the third season of “Bates Motel” for March 9, 2015, and now has released the most compelling promo yet.

While it’s already known that Norman’s descent into madness is well underway, nobody expected it to progress this quickly. The promo shows a ton of footage from Season 3 that teases just how dark it will go. Watch your skin crawl as Norman obsesses over “mother” in a series of truly disgusting shots.

“Bates Motel” is a contemporary prequel to the genre-defining film Psycho, and gives viewers an intimate portrayal of how Norman Bates’ psyche unravels through his teenage years.

Series stars Vera Farmiga in her Emmy-nominated role as Norma Bates and Freddie Highmore as Norman.

After a blissful summer of closeness with his mother, living within the safe confines of home and the Bates Motel, Norman’s fears about what really happened with Blaire Watson resurface and Norma questions what really happened. Forced to look at the truths about Norman for the first time, their deeply intricate relationship continues to evolve. Norma finds herself turning to the other man in her life, Norman’s half-brother, Dylan (Max Thieriot) and begins to rely on him in ways that she never expected. This relationship inevitably triggers jealousy in Norman and a new kind of love triangle between Norma and her two sons erupts. Estranged brother and uncle, Caleb (Kenny Johnson) returns to haunt the family throughout the season challenging the family bond even further. Pressures of the outside world take a hold of the family when newcomers Kevin Rahm (“Mad Men,” “Desperate Housewives”), Tracy Spiradakos (“Revolution”) and Ryan Hurst (“Sons Of Anarchy”) arrive at White Pine Bay. After a summer of living at the Bates Motel, Sheriff Romero (Nestor Carbonell) and Norma have grown closer but there will always have that troubling question mark surrounding Norman. Something doesn’t feel right, but spite of his instincts, Romero finds himself continually drawn back to the Bates family — and to Norma. Emma (Olivia Cooke) also determined to find out what is happening to Norman becomes more emboldened, fearless, goes after the things she wants. Familiar face, Bradley (Nicola Peltz) returns to surprise the family and digs up old memories.

Filmax (the [REC] franchise, Summer Camp) has released an international poster for Sweet Home, with Rafa Martinez at the helm. It will open in Spain on May 8, 2015.

Sweet Home is described as a realistic and claustrophobic film that keeps track of the scariest side.

Here’s a translation of the film’s plot: “The plot is situated in a daily environment: a couple decides to spend a romantic evening in a floor of a semi-abandoned building that slip because she works as a consultant for the council house and got the keys. During the evening they discover that a hooded murderer is the only tenant left in the building…and they have become the new target.“

The UK distribution of The Babadook (review, review #2) is going all out, having just released the ‘dook onto the London streets, and now teasing hidden content. The film is now on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital, and we’re told that there’s special features hiding within the disc. Below is a clue…

“Six years after the violent death of her husband, Amelia (Essie Davis) is at a loss. She struggles to discipline her out of control 6 year-old, Samuel (Noah Wiseman), a son she finds impossible to love. Samuel’s dreams are plagued by a sinister monster he believes is coming to kill them both. When a disturbing storybook called ‘The Babadook’ turns up at their house, Samuel is convinced that the creature in the book is the monster he’s been dreaming about. His hallucinations spiral out of control and as he becomes more unpredictable and violent, Amelia is genuinely frightened by her son’s behaviour.

But when Amelia begins to see glimpses of a sinister presence all around her, it slowly dawns on her that the thing Samuel has been warning her about – The Babadook – may be real after all…“

Directed by visionary first-time director Jennifer Kent, The Babadook looks set to be the most terrifying release of 2015, as well as one of the most critically acclaimed.

Today brings the 4th entry into our exclusive weekly series of teasing the upcoming My Enemies & I EP Sick World, which comes out March 10th! This is the penultimate teaser, with next week wrapping up this exclusive run!

For this week’s clip, we’re teasing the track “Parables”, which begins with a rather sinister vibe before entering an anthemic chorus, one that will no doubt get fans singing along!

Relapse Records is celebrating 25 years of bringing some of the best metal, sludge, hard rock, and more by offering a MASSIVE 184-track compilation that features songs from their entire roster over their career. Clocking in at right around 13 hours of music, this compilation is perfect for anyone seeking new music. You’ll get amazing retrosynth from Zombi, badass sludge metal via Mastodon, experimental noise courtesy of Merzbow (watch your headphone volume level when starting this one up), and a helluva lot more.

Oh, and did I mention that it’s set at a ‘Name Your Price’ model? This is a 100% no-brainer, so get your ass over to Bandcamp and snatch this one up. I also highly recommend picking up a shirt or beanie to show your support and make sure that Relapse is around for another 25 years and longer!

Mick Taylor is among the greatest slashers of all time, and even though it feels like Wolf Creek 2 would be the final entry in the franchise, the Aussie slasher will be taking his carving talents to the small screen.

Australia’s 9 News reports that subscription video-on-demand service Stan announced it has signed a production development deal for a six-part “Wolf Creek” series!

John Jarratt will return as the villain Mick Taylor in the series, which is currently being developed by director, writer and producer Greg McLean, who was behind the first and second Wolf Creek films.

“Wolf Creek and the character of Mick Taylor have become household names, and the opportunity to tell a rich and complex story in his world in a high-quality drama series is a thrilling creative opportunity,” Emu Creek Pictures CEO Mr McLean said.

Bloody-Disgusting has teamed up with metalcore band Motionless In White to bring you an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at their official video for “Break The Cycle”, which comes out tomorrow! The song appears on the band’s latest album Reincarnate.

The 12 pictures, which you can see below, shows the band performing in a room lit by candles with empty picture frames, some hung askew. Also in the images you’ll see a creepy elderly woman that looks very much like Parker Crane (aka “The Bride In Black”) from Insidious, as well a demonic creature that is reminiscent of Ig Parish’s character from Horns. Well, once he gets a little roughed up, that is. Overall, it looks like this video is going to be right up the alley of any horror fan!

Based on a true story, Backcountry, which stars The Texas Chainsaw Massacre‘s Eric Balfour, follows an urban couple who go camping in the Canadian wilderness – where unimaginable beauty sits alongside our most primal fears.

IFC Midnight has finally set the film for release, scheduling it to hit VOD and digital platforms March 20th.

“Alex (Jeff Roop) is a seasoned outdoorsman while Jenn (Missy Peregrym), a corporate lawyer, is not. After much convincing, and against her better judgment, she agrees to let him take her deep into a Provincial Park to one of his favorite spots – the secluded Blackfoot Trail.

On their first night, deep in the forest, they have an unsettling encounter with Brad (Eric Balfour), a strange alpha male with eyes for Jenn who may or may not be following them. Alex’s desire to quickly reach Blackfoot Trail only intensifies. They push further and further into the woods, Alex stubbornly insisting that he remembers the way. After three days their path disappears; they are hopelessly lost. Without food or water, they struggle to find their way back, the harsh conditions bringing out the best and worst in them, pushing their already fragile relationship to the breaking point.

When they realize they have entered a bear’s territory, being lost suddenly becomes the least of their problems. Terror, horror, will, and survival become paramount.”

Playing as part of the South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival’s Midnighters section is Mickey Keating’s hotly anticipated Pod, which will World Premiere at the fest running from March 13 – 21, 2015 in Austin, Texas.

The first trailer has been released and features Lauren Ashley Carter, Dean Cates, Brian Morvant, Larry Fessenden, and John Weselcouch.

In it, “A family intervention goes horrifically awry within the snowy confines of an isolated lake house.“

Budapest electronic/retrowave artist Lazerpunk has released a video for his track “Worldeater”, which comes from the Game Over album. The footage uses a speedrun of the lost mission from Doom 3: BFG edition. The music works incredibly well against the backdrop of sheer unadulterated mayhem, carnage, and violence.

Gregory Levasseur, who worked with Alexandre Aja on the screenplays for High Tension, The Hills Have Eyes and Maniac, will see the release of his The Pyramid on Blu-ray and DVD May 5, 2015 and Digital HD April 17, 2015.

Special Features include a New Extended Ending, featurettes “Partners”, “Fear”, “Space Archaeology”, and “Egyptian Myths”, as well as an Image Gallery.

In Pyramid, “The ancient wonders of the world have long cursed explorers who’ve dared to uncover their secrets. But a team of U.S. archaeologists gets more than they bargained for when they discover a lost pyramid unlike any other in the Egyptian desert. As they unlock the horrific secrets buried within, they realize they aren’t just trapped, they are being hunted.”

Scott Beck and Bryan Woods directed what is being styled as an innovative take on the found footage genre told from a singular point of view.

Nightlight, in limited theaters and On Demand March 27th through Lionsgate, Bloody Disgusting has landed the film’s official trailer!

“For years, the Covington forest has been shrouded in mystery, with a dark past as a final destination for troubled youths. Undeterred by the news of a classmate who recently took his life in those woods, five teens journey into the forest for an evening of flashlight games and ghost stories. But their plans go awry when the friends awaken a demonic presence, an unseen evil that will seize upon their deepest fears—and plunge them into a nightmare of absolute terror.”

NECA’s ‘Ultimate Freddy’ is out now, which already leads to speculation that an ‘Ultimate Jason Voorhies’ is up next!

McFarlane Toys introduced us horror fans to Leatherface in both a bloody and regular variant edition as part of their inaugural Movie Maniacs line back in 1998. It was impossible to get back then because, not only was there no way to pre-order online, but the warehouse employees at all the toy stores were bribed to pull the toys by local comic shops. It sucked.

Anyways, fans now get what they deserve with this absolutely stunning new figure as shown below. If NECA can find a way to triple our shelf space, we’d buy that, too.